Wellsite wet screening system for proppants and methods of using same

ABSTRACT

The invention comprises a system for wet screening of oilwell proppant at the wellsite to provide a controlled and controllable amount of properly sized and screened proppant and fluid to a frac fluid blending system.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application Ser. No. 63/211,509, filed on Jun. 16, 2021, andclaims benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 63/366,313 filed on Jun. 13, 2022, the entire disclosure ofeach is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO APPENDIX

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The inventions disclosed and enabled herein relate to wet screening atthe wellsite of wet or dry proppant materials for immediate use infracing a subterranean well.

Description of the Related Art

When fracturing a subterranean hydrocarbon formation (hereafter“fracing”), properly sized proppant is blended at the wellsite withfluids and chemicals specific to that particular well to create a fracfluid that is then injected or pumped into the wellbore and surroundingformation. The first formation fracturing operation was done in 1947with silica sand as the proppant. Since then, many materials have beenused as proppants including walnut hulls, natural sand, glass, resincoated sand, sintered bauxite and kaolin, and fused zirconia. Today,fracking is used in approximately 95 percent of oil and gas wells in theUnited States, and sand and ceramic proppants are the two most commonproppants used.

Generally, Frac sand is not used as mined without processing. Sandprocessing includes mining sand deposits, crushing, washing/cleaning,drying, and sizing the sand grains. The size range of proppant is animportant consideration for the frac plan. Proppant sizes are generallybetween 8 and 140 mesh (2.38 mm and 0.105 mm). The mesh size is thenumber of openings across one linear inch of screen. When describing thesize of the proppant, the proppant is typically referred to as simplythe sieve cut. For example, 16/30 mesh is 1.19 mm to 0.595 mm.

Proppant processing and particularly sizing and screening of theproppant conventionally occurs at a proppant facility, such as sandplant. The processing plant is usually a significant distance from thewellsite, such that the processed proppant must be delivered or shippedby wheeled vehicle to the wellsite. In other words, conventionally,proppant is processed, including screened for size, and packaged at thedistant proppant facility for delivery to the wellsite or well stagingarea. Depending on how the proppant is transported to the wellsite(e.g., open rail car or open trailer) and how the proppant is stored atthe at the wellsite (e.g., unprotected piles) and other factors, theproppant may be or may become contaminated as to size range, proppantcontaminants, such as debris, and otherwise. Any one of these cancompromise the blending equipment, compromise the performance of thefrac fluid, and/or compromise the production performance of the well.Further, as multiple horizontal runs are created from one wellsite orwellbore, changes to the frac plan between horizontal runs, and evenwithin a single horizontal run, may require resizing of the proppant,which may require time consuming conventional delivery of alternatelysized proppant to the wellsite or staging area.

Also, because the cost of conventional transportation or shipment isrelated to the weight of the cargo, the proppant (e.g., sand) is driedat the proppant facility in furnaces to remove water content and therebyreduce shipping weight and costs. The drying process is the bottleneckof the frac sand production process and burns fossil fuel (natural gas,propane, etc.) at high rates to complete the drying process. It is welldocumented that hydrocarbon fired furnaces for drying proppant to reduceits shipping costs consumes large amounts of energy and creates a largeand undesirable carbon footprint. The drying process is estimated tocreate 17-38 tons of CO₂ emissions per 1,000 dried tons depending on thedrying process and fuel type. Drying accounts for 50% or more of fracsand production costs.

The inventions disclosed and enabled herein address one or more of theissues discussed above and eliminate the need to store proppant at thewellsite or staging area in a contamination-proof manner, reduce thecarbon footprint of fracing by reducing or eliminating the need to dryproppant, facilitate the use of wet or dry proppant at the wellsite, wetscreening of the proppant for size debris removal, any one of which mayreduce the total cost to the end user and the environment.

SUMMARY OF INVENTIONS

One of the many possible summaries of our inventions is a mobile systemfor wet screening of proppant at a wellsite, comprising a trailersuitable for towing upon roadways to the wellsite, the trailer having aninclined rail system extending upward and away from a trailer deck atone end toward a second end at a predetermined height above the trailerdeck. A wet screening component may comprise a support structure havinga rail system on a lower surface thereof and structured for slidingengagement with the trailer rail system. The wet screening component mayfurther comprise a proppant screening assembly having an inlet area, adischarge area, and a screen having a plurality of openings ofpredetermined size and shape through which fluid and proppant smallerthan a first size may pass, and which prevents particles larger than thefirst size from passing through the openings. A proppant feed box havingan opening through which proppant can be received and an inlet throughwhich fluid can be received for creating a proppant slurry in the feedbox. A proppant slurry discharge disposed above the inlet area, and theproppant feed box separate from and not coupled to the proppantscreening assembly. At least one fluid spray system disposed above thescreen to supply fluid to the screen to facilitate wet screening ofproppant. A frac slurry collection bin disposed relative to the screento collect a frac slurry of proppant and fluid that has passed throughthe screen and having a collection bin outlet for discharging the fracslurry from the collection bin. Wherein the wet screening component islocated along the rails in a transportation position establishing aminimum overall height of the wet screening component from the trailerdeck and wherein the wet screening component is moved along the rails toan operating position establishing a predetermined height of the binoutlet from the trailer deck. A frac slurry conduit coupled to thecollection bin outlet when the wet screening component is in theoperating position and which passes frac slurry from the collection binto a frac fluid blending system.

Systems utilizing our inventions may comprise a proppant supply systemthat delivers a predetermined rate of proppant to the proppant feed box.The proppant supply system may comprise a belt conveyor. Systems maycomprise a conveyor loading system configured to receive bulk proppantand to supply a measured amount of proppant to a first end of the beltconveyor system. The conveyor loading system may comprise a load sensorfor determining an amount of proppant delivered to the belt conveyor anda proppant moisture sensor. The wet screening component may be winchedalong the rail system from the transportation position to the operatingposition. Systems may further comprise a fluid supply systemcommunicating with the fluid inlet on the proppant feed box. The fluidsupply system may comprise a fluid pump and a fluid flow meter.Substantially all of the fluid introduced to the vibratory screeningassembly through the proppant feed box and the at least one spray bar isdischarged from the bin outlet. Systems may comprise a frac slurry pumpfor pumping the frac slurry from the collection bin outlet to the fracfluid blending system. The frac slurry conduit may be connected to theinlet of the frac slurry pump. Systems may comprise a controlleroperatively coupled to the proppant supply system so that apredetermined rate of proppant is delivered to the proppant feed box.The screen of the wet screening component may be leveled when the wetscreening component is in the operation position. Systems may comprise aplurality of adjustable legs extending from the support structure to theground for leveling the screen. The screen openings may be 3 mm by 3 mmsquare openings.

Another one of the many possible summaries of our inventions is a methodof creating a frac slurry of proppant screened for size and debriscomprising placing the trailer immediately adjacent a wellhead, movingthe wet screening component to the operating position, supplying apredetermined rate of water to the proppant feed box, collecting thewater in the collection bin, passing the water through the bin outlet tothe frac fluid blending system, supplying a predetermined rate ofproppant to the proppant feed box while water is being supplied to theproppant feed box, depositing a proppant slurry on the screen,separating oversized particles from proppant slurry, collecting the fracslurry of water and proppant screened for size and debris in thecollection box; and passing the frac slurry through the bin outlet tothe frac fluid blending system to create a frac fluid for the formationassociated with the wellhead. The predetermined rate of water may bebetween 12 bbl/min and 119 bbl/min. The predetermined rate of water maybe between greater than 50 bbl/min. The frac slurry has a proppantcomponent of between 3 lbs/gallon and 6 lbs/gallon. No wastewater isproduced by the methods.

None of these brief summaries of the inventions is intended to limit orotherwise affect the scope of the appended claims, and nothing stated inthis Brief Summary of the Invention is intended as a definition of aclaim term or phrase or as a disavowal or disclaimer of claim scope.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The following figures form part of the specification and are included toillustrate certain aspects of the present inventions other than withwords. The inventions disclosed and enabled herein are best understoodby reference to one or more of these figures in combination with thedetailed written description of specific embodiments presented herein.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one of many possibleembodiments of a wellsite wet screening system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plan view of the wellsite wet screening system ofFIG. 1 .

FIGS. 3A, 3B & 3C illustrate perspective views of another of the manypossible embodiments of a wellsite wet screening system.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the wellsite wet screening system of FIGS. 3A& 3B mounted on a chassis or trailer for transportation to a wellsite.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate another embodiment of a mobile, wellsite wetscreening system.

FIG. 6 illustrates another yet another embodiment of a mobile, wellsitewet screening system.

FIGS. 7A & 7B illustrate a mobile, wellsite wet screening systemintegrated with a frac fluid blending system.

While the inventions disclosed herein are amenable to variousmodifications and alternative forms and embodiments, only a few specificembodiments have been shown by way of illustration in the drawings andthe written specification. The figures and written descriptions of thesespecific embodiments are not intended to limit the breadth or scope ofour inventions or to define the literal scope of the appended claims.Rather, the figures and detailed written descriptions are provided toteach and enable a person or ordinary skill in this art to make and useour inventions whether or not a specific embodiment of such is disclosedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Those persons skilled in the art will appreciate that not all featuresof a commercial embodiment of incorporating our inventions are describedor shown for the sake of clarity and understanding. Persons of skill inthis art also will appreciate that the development of an actualcommercial embodiment incorporating aspects of the present inventionswill require numerous implementation-specific decisions to achieve thedeveloper's ultimate goal for the commercial embodiment. Suchimplementation-specific decisions may include, and likely are notlimited to, compliance with system-related, business-related,government-related, and other constraints, which may vary by specificimplementation, location and from time to time. While a developer'sefforts might be complex and time-consuming in an absolute sense, suchefforts would be, nevertheless, a routine undertaking for those of skillin this art having benefit of this disclosure.

Aspects of the inventions disclosed herein may be disclosed as anapparatus, system, or method. Accordingly, specific embodiments may takethe form of an entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment combiningsoftware and hardware aspects, such as a “circuit,” “module” or“system.” Furthermore, embodiments of the present inventions may involvecomputer program products embodied in one or more computer readablestorage media having computer readable program code.

Items, components, functions, or structures in this disclosure may bedescribed or labeled as a “module” or “modules.” For example, but notlimitation, a module may be configured as a hardware circuit comprisingcustom VLSI circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors suchas logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module alsomay be implemented as programmable hardware devices such as fieldprogrammable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logicdevices, or the like. Modules also may be configured as software forexecution by various types of processors. A module of executable codemay comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of computerinstructions that may be organized as an object, procedure, or function.The executables of a module need not be physically located together butmay comprise disparate instructions stored in different locations thatwhen joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve thestated purpose or function. A module of executable code may be a singleinstruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed overseveral different code segments, among different programs, and acrossseveral memory devices. Similarly, data may be identified andillustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitableform and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The datamay be collected as a single dataset or may be distributed overdifferent locations including over different storage devices, and mayexist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system ornetwork. Where a module or portions of a module are implemented insoftware, the software portions may be stored on one or more computerreadable storage media.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of one or more of thepresent inventions may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object-oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Python, C++, or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. The remotecomputer may be connected to the user's computer through any type ofnetwork, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network(WAN), or the connection may be made to an exterior computer forexample, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider.

The terms “including,” “comprising,” “having,” and variations thereofmean “including but not limited to” unless expressly specifiedotherwise. An enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or allof the items are mutually exclusive and/or mutually inclusive, unlessexpressly specified otherwise. The terms “a,” “an,” and “the” also referto “one or more” unless expressly specified otherwise. Also, the use ofrelational terms, such as, but not limited to, “top,” “bottom,” “left,”“right,” “upper,” “lower,” “down,” “up,” “side,” and the like are usedin the written description for clarity in specific reference to theFigures and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or theappended claims.

Reference throughout this disclosure to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” “a first embodiment” or similar language means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiment included in at least one of the many possibleembodiments of the present inventions. Persons of skill in the art willreadily understand that features or components described with respectedto one embodiment may be utilized with other disclosed and undisclosedembodiments without departing from the inventions disclosed and enabledherein. In other words, the described features, structures, orcharacteristics of one embodiment may be mixed, matched and/or combinedin any suitable manner in one or more other embodiments.

The description of elements in each Figure may refer to elements ofproceeding Figures. Like numbers refer to like elements in all figures,including alternate embodiments of like elements. In some possibleembodiments, the functions/actions/structures noted in the figures mayoccur out of the order noted in the block diagrams and/or operationalillustrations. For example, two operations shown as occurring insuccession, in fact, may be executed substantially concurrently or theoperations may be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality/acts/structure involved.

Turning now to our inventions, we have created systems and methods thatallow wet screening of proppant, such as, but not limited to sand, atthe wellsite so that a properly sized and debris-free proppant fracslurry with a known (e.g., controlled or estimated) amount of water maybe directly, if not immediately, delivered to a conventional (orunconventional) frac fluid blending unit (e.g. a frac blender truck) forfinalization of the frac fluid chemistry followed by injection into thewell or wells. Our inventions are especially useful at those fields orbasins where proppant is stored in exposed conditions, such as anexposed pile, where foreign particles, such as gravel or dirt, cancontaminate the proppant, and is also useful when proppant is deliveredor stored in unexposed tote bags or trucks. Our inventions also areuseful in those fields or basins that use locally sourced proppant, suchas as-mined sand, which can be delivered to the wellsite with little tono processing at a proppant facility prior to delivery. For example, ourinventions can use “dry” proppant (i.e., less than about 1% water byweight) or “wet” proppant (i.e., greater than about 1% water by weight).Our inventions also facilitate the use of non-specialized bulk materialtransports, such as dump trucks, end dumps and belly dumps. Ourinventions are environmentally friendly in that all water introducedinto our systems may be, if desired transferred to a frac fluid blendingsystem for ultimate injection into the well. No wastewater need beproduced. Our inventions also are useful in those basins or well siteswhere the frac plan is subject to modification or change during a fracjob. Other benefits of our inventions will become apparent to those ofskill in the art by reading this disclosure.

The wellsite wet screening systems taught herein are for use immediatelyadjacent the well that is to be frac'ed. By “immediately adjacent,” wemean that the wet screening system is physically located near thewellhead such that the wet screened proppant from the wet screeningsystem can be directly, such as immediately, supplied to the frac fluidblending system or truck during the wet screening process. As anon-limiting example of a wellsite wet screening system beingimmediately adjacent a land-based wellhead is when the proppant slurrycollection bin discharge is within 250 feet of the wellhead.

In some of the many possible embodiments of our inventions, it iscontemplated that the proppant, whether sand, coated sand, ceramic, orotherwise, for a particular well, may be loaded into an inlet hopper,mixed with water, and delivered to a vibrationary screening assembly. Inother of the many possible embodiments of our inventions, it iscontemplated that the proppant, whether sand, coated sand, ceramic, orotherwise, for a particular well, may be loaded on to a conveyor fortransport to an inlet hopper, mixed with water and delivered to avibrationary screening assembly. In still other of the many possibleembodiments of our inventions, it is contemplated that the proppant,whether sand, coated sand, ceramic, or otherwise, for a particular well,may be loaded into a load hopper by a material handler, such as afrontend loader, and then deposited, such as by metering, on to aconveyor for transport to an inlet hopper, mixed with water anddelivered to a vibrationary screening assembly.

Our inventions utilize a vibratory screening assembly to wet screen theproppant so that proppant smaller than a predetermined size and/or shape(determined by the screen) passes through the screen and falls into anenclosed area or bin. Fluid, preferably fresh water or produced water,may be used with the screening operation to wet screen the proppant.Fluid also may be used in a feed box associated with the screeningstructure to efficiently transfer the proppant into the vibratoryscreening assembly. In operation, the water falls through the screenalong with the properly sized proppant into the enclosed area. Oversizedproppant and contaminates exit the screener, such as at one end, and donot pass through the screen. Gravity or a slurry pump, or both, may beused to feed the screened proppant slurry from the enclosed bin fracfluid blending system for finalization of the frac fluid prior toinjection. The amount of fluid added to the vibratory screening assemblymay be metered and/or controlled so that the amount of proppant andfluid delivered to the frac fluid blending system is known and/orcontrolled. It also is contemplated that one or more chemicals may beintroduced with the fluid supplied for wet screening.

As mentioned, a proppant conveyor system may be used to feed thevibratory screening assembly, and if used, is preferably a load hopperand belt conveyor system with a weight transducer, such as a belt scale,to determine the amount (e.g., weight) of proppant conveyed and todetermine the rate (e.g., lbs/hour) of proppant added to the vibratoryscreening assembly. Preferably, one or more variable frequency drive ACmotors are used to power and provide control of the amount of proppantsupplied.

The vibratory screening assembly system preferably has an inlet hopperthat the main conveyor, if used, dumps proppant into. The inlet hopperalso may include a controllable feed system to add proppant to thesizing screen at controlled/controllable rates and patterns. Preferably,however, we contemplate that the inlet hopper simply passes the proppantslurry to the screen without controlling the feed rate. It is preferredthat the system that loads proppant onto the main belt conveyor controlsthe amount of proppant delivered to the screen.

We contemplate proppant feed rates into the inlet hopper for embodimentsof our inventions of between about 5 ton/hr and about 1,500 ton/hr, andpreferably between about 100 ton/hour and about 800 ton/hour. Wecontemplate fluid flow rates into the vibratory screening assembly ofbetween about 500 gal/min (12 bbl/min) to about 5000 gal/min (119bbl/min), and preferably between about 24 bbl/min (1,000 gal/min) andabout 100 bbl/min (4,200 gal/min). It is preferred that embodiments ofthe inventions disclosed herein provide a proppant slurry to the fracfluid blender system in amounts ranging between about 0.3 lbs ofproppant per gallon of water (i.e., about 8.6 lbs/gal) to about 12 lbsof proppant per gallon of water (i.e., about 20.3 lbs/gallon), andpreferably between about 1 lbs proppant/gallon of water and about 10 lbsproppant/gallon water.

Preferred embodiments of our inventions are modular and mobile so thatthe wellsite wet screening system can be relocated easily to differentwell sites. In mobile embodiments, the screen system is preferably sizedand constructed so that it can be hauled on and operated from a highwayvehicle or tractor trailer without oversize permits or height issues.Additionally, our wellsite wet screening system inventions may be usedoffshore, for example on a frac boat, as enabled herein.

Turning now to a first embodiment, FIG. 1 illustrates perspective viewof a wet screening system 100 according to our inventions, comprising awet screening component 102 and a proppant supply component 104. In thisembodiment, the wet screening component 102 comprises a vibratoryscreening assembly 106, a screening platform 108, an inlet hopper 110, aplatform support frame 112, and a frac slurry collection bin 114.

The vibratory screening assembly 106 may be a conventional vibratoryscreening machine comprising a body 116, a screen or sieve assembly(e.g., one or more screens) 118 having a plurality of openings thereinof specific size and shape (not shown), and one or more vibratory motors120 arranged to vibrate particles on the upper surface of the screen118. The vibratory screening assembly 106 may be coupled to an uppersurface of the platform 108, preferably with vibration isolating mounts.

The inlet hopper 110 may comprise an inlet or opening 124 sized andarranged to receive material, such as proppant, from a conveyor 122 orother material delivery system. The inlet hopper 110 further comprises awater inlet 126, such as a conduit flange, for receiving a flow of waterinto the hopper 110. The inlet hopper 110 comprises a discharge port 128sized and arranged to deliver a slurry of proppant and water from theinlet hopper 110 to the inlet of the vibratory screening assembly 106.It is preferred that the volume of the discharge port 128 be less thanthe volume of the hopper 110 generally so that the hopper 110 provides aretention time for the incoming proppant and water before beingdischarged to the vibratory screening assembly 106. As illustrated inFIG. 1 , the inlet hopper 110 may be supported above the vibratoryscreening assembly 106 inlet by a frame or support structure 130 coupledto the platform 108. It is preferred, but not required, that the inlethopper frame 130 not be coupled to or contact the vibratory screeningassembly 106.

The platform support frame 112 may be fabricated from structuralmembers, such as steel beams, arranged and configured to carry theweight and operation of the wet screening component 102. Within thesupport frame 112 and preferably below the underside of the platform108, is the frac slurry collection bin 114, which is sized andconfigured to receive the proppant slurry from the vibrating screen 118.For purposes of this disclosure, the slurry of proppant and water thatpass through the screen or sieve 118 into the collection bin 114 will bereferred as the “frac slurry” in contradistinction to the “proppantslurry” that is discharged 128 from the inlet hopper 110 onto thevibrating screen 118. The collection bin 114 may comprise one or moreoutlets 132, such as conduit flanges, through which the frac slurry maypass.

It is preferred that a flexible, semi-rigid or rigid frac slurry conduit134 be coupled, including removably coupled, to the bin outlet 132 fordelivery of the frac slurry to a frac fluid blending system (not shown).The outlet may have a diameter of about 14 inches or so. It will beunderstood that there are a variety of frac fluid blending systems ofvarious designs that are used in the oil fields, and that the locationand height of the proppant inlet portion of the blending truck may vary.Thus, for the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , the height of the binoutlet 132 may be adjusted by changing the height of the hopper supportframe 126, such as through adjustable length supports. Further, it ispreferred that the adjustable length supports allow for leveling of thewet screening component 102. It will be appreciated that the efficiencyof the proppant screening process is directly affected by the levelnessof the screen 118. As the levelness increases, the screening efficiencyalso increases. It should be noted that the system is operable at lessthan truly level conditions.

As also shown in FIG. 1 , the wet screening system 100 comprises aproppant supply component 104, which may comprise any of a number ofmaterial supply systems, such as belt conveyor 122 having a conveyordrive assembly 136. In a preferred embodiment, the drive assembly may bea simple constant speed AC motor. Alternately, the drive assembly maycomprise an AC motor and variable frequency drive for controllablydelivering proppant to the inlet 124 in the hopper 110. In thisparticular embodiment, the belt conveyor 122 has a conveyor inlet 138into which a controlled amount of proppant can be deposited forconveyance to the inlet hopper 110. For example and not limitation, afront-end loader, proppant box, proppant tote, or other materialhandling equipment may dump proppant into the conveyor inlet 138. Asillustrated, the proppant supply component 104 is preferably trailerableto the well site, and it is preferred that proppant be supplied to thefeed inlet hopper 110 at a rate ranging between about 100 ton/hour toabout 700 ton/hour.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the wet screening system 100. Proppant 200 isshown on the belt conveyor 122 being fed into the inlet hopper 110through hopper opening 124. Water supply conduit 202 is shown supplyingwater to water inlet 126 through rigid and flexible conduits. The waterand proppant 200 mix in the hopper 110, and that proppant slurry isdelivered to the vibratory screen assembly 118. FIG. 2 shows optionalwater spray bars or water spray heads 204 that add water to the proppantslurry on the vibratory screen assembly 118 to improve the efficiency ofvibratory screening and/or increase the screening throughput rate ascompared to dry screening. The spray bars may comprise simple holes orholes with conical splash plates to create a more spray likedistribution or dedicated spray nozzles. Preferably, the spray bars orspray heads are not rigidly mounted to the vibratory screening assembly106. As is known, oversized particles 206 in the proppant slurry cannotpass through the sized openings in the screen 118 and are moved to thedischarge area of the vibratory screening assembly 106 for removal fromthe system 102. A discharge chute 208 may be attached at the dischargearea to funnel or direct the oversized particles exiting the vibratoryscreening assembly 106 to a particular location. Also shown in FIG. 2 isthe frac slurry discharge conduit 134 that feds the sized and cleanedfrac slurry to the frac fluid blending system (not shown) for injectionin the well. The power cables 210 for the vibratory screening assembly106 also are shown.

Although not shown in FIG. 1 or 2 , it is preferred that the water mistgenerated by the spray bars is contained, such as by a cover over thevibratory screening assembly 106. It is contemplated that a flexiblecover, such as vinyl rubber or the like is fitted over the assembly 106to prevent water mist from exiting the wet screening component 102.

Referring to both FIGS. 3A and 3B, they provide an illustration ofanother embodiment of a wellsite wet screening system 300 according toour inventions. This embodiment utilizes the wet screening component 102and the proppant supply component 104 previously described with certainmodifications and additions. First, the wet screening component 102 ismounted on a tractor trailer or truck chassis 302 so that it is mobileand transportable to other wellsites as needed or desired. In this firstalternate embodiment 300, the wet screening component 102 is rigidlymounted to the trailer/chassis 302 for transportation to the wellsite.Those of skill will understand that FIGS. 3A and 3B do not necessarilyillustrate the preferred location on the trailer 302 for the rigidlymounted wet screening component 102. Once at the wellsite, the wetscreening component may be unsecured from the trailer or chassis so thatthe wet screening component 102 may be leveled by extending levelinglegs (preferably 4) to the ground and adjusting the height thereof. Inthis embodiment 300, it is preferred that all plumbing, power, and dataconnections to the wet screening component 102, the proppant supplycomponent 104, and other equipment may be uncoupled at each of thosecomponents to aid mobility, make-up and tear-down.

For example, the support structure 112 may have rigid piping coupledthereto with flanges, such as quick connect flanges, at each end. Thevibratory screening assembly 106 also may have rigid piping coupledthereto to feed one or more water spray systems 204, such as pipes,associated with the vibratory screen assembly 106 and/or associated withthe inlet hopper 110. Once the wet screening system 102 is properlypositioned at the wellsite, the rigid piping on the support structure112 and the vibratory screen assembly 106 may be coupled with flexibleconduit to prevent damage caused by vibrations of the system. Thesupport structure 112 piping may be coupled to a water supply pump 310with rigid, flexible, or a combination of rigid and flexible piping.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a loading hopper system 308 that may be used toload proppant 200 onto the belt conveyor 122. The loading hopper system308 may comprise an elevated hopper 318 into which a material handler,such as a front-end loader 320, or other such equipment, dumps proppant200 from a pile or other source into the conveyor inlet 138. Thesefigures illustrate that the load hopper 308 can discharge onto a smallconveyor 322 that deposits the proppant onto the conveyor inlet 138. Itis preferred that the secondary conveyor 322 is driven by an AC motorwith speed control, such as a variable frequency drive. In thispreferred embodiment, the primary conveyor 122 comprises a loadtransducer associated with the belt to determine, relatively orabsolutely, the weight of proppant (including any moisture) transferredby the load hopper 318 and conveyor 322 to the primary conveyor 122. Thespeed of the of the secondary conveyor 322 can be adjusted to controlthe amount of proppant delivered to the inlet hopper 114. Alternately,the load hopper 318 may deposit proppant directly into the conveyorinlet 148 with need for an additional conveyor.

As shown in FIG. 3B, a fluid supply pump 310, may comprise a centrifugalpump, axial pump, positive displacement pump or other fluid movingdevice suitable to supply water to the wet screening component 102. Thewater pump 310 comprises an inlet 312 and an outlet 314. Preferably thewater supply system comprises a fluid meter 316, such as flow rate meter(e.g., volumetric or mass). Although the fluid meter 316 is illustratedadjacent the pump 310, it may be located elsewhere in the fluid supplypath, such as mounted to the platform support 112. Typically, the pump310 will draw water from a tank or pond, or storage containers suitablefor the fracing operations. As discussed above, it is preferred that thefluid supply 310 be configured to supply fluid for wet screening at flowrates of between about 1,000 gal/min to about 2,000 gal/min.

FIG. 3B also shows that the mobile wet screening system 300 (or anyembodiment of our inventions) may comprise a centralized power system324 for distributing power to the wet screening component 102, theproppant supply component 104. In addition to the power system 324, thisembodiment preferably comprises a controller 326 arranged and structuredto acquire data and generate control signals for various components. Forexample, the controller 326 may comprise input/output module(s), humaninterface device module(s), memory module(s) and processing module(s)arranged and connected so that the controller 326 can receive data from,for example, the flow meter 316, analyze, manipulate, or utilize thatdata, such as with one or more algorithms or software programs, tocontrol or adjust the pump 310 to achieve a desired fluid flow rate.FIG. 3B illustrates control link 328 to the water pump, a control link330 to the fluid meter 316, and a control link 332 to the wet screeningcomponent 102. This control link may provide data from individualcomponents, meters, or transducers on the wet screening component 102.For example, and not limitation, the control link 332 may provide dataconcerning one or more of: the speed of the vibratory motor(s) 120, aliquid level in the collection bin 114, and/or a liquid level in thehopper 110. It is preferred that system 100 comprise a moisture sensorto determine the moisture content of the proppant for weightdetermination purposes. It is preferred that the load hopper 308comprise a moisture sensor, such as near infra-red moisture sensor orradio frequency moisture sensor to aid the determination of the amountof proppant delivered to the inlet hopper 114. Also, in someembodiments, the bin discharge may comprise a density meter, such as anuclear or non-nuclear density meters.

A control link 334 is illustrated between the controller 326 and theproppant supply component 104. This control link may provide data fromindividual components, meters, or transducers on the proppant supplycomponent 104. For example, and not limitation, the control link 334 mayprovide data and/or control concerning one or more of: the speed of thebelt conveyor 122, a weight of proppant on the belt conveyor 122, amoisture of the proppant, and/or a volume of proppant on the beltconveyor 122.

Although the power system 324 and controller 326 are shown separatelyfrom the other structures in FIG. 3 , it will be understood that thepower system 324 and the controller 324 can be associated with the wetscreening component 102 or with the proppant supply component 104.Further, the power system 324 and controller 326 can be separate systemsor can an integrated system, as illustrated. The controller 326 maycomprise a suitably programmed laptop computer, tablet, or smart phonewith a suitable control interface. And, while the control/data links328, 330, 332, and 344 are illustrated as hard-wired communicationlinks, it will be understood that all forms of wireless control/datalink, including near field communication protocols, are contemplated foroptional or potential use with all embodiments of our inventions.

As discussed above, the motors utilized in by the proppant supplycomponent 104 and the water supply pump 310, if any, are preferably ACmotors with variable frequency drives for precise control the speed ofthe motors. It is also preferred that the main feed box conveyor beinstrumented so that a rate of proppant, e.g., weight or mass per unittime, delivered to the feed box can be determined and/or controlled.

The controller 326 may comprise a ruggedized computer system, logiccontroller, or other feedback control system. For all embodimentsdisclosed herein, the weight transducers, such as one on the proppantsupply component 104, a flow meter 316 in the fluid supply system, andvariable speed motors (e.g., conveyor motor 120, fluid pump motor 310)may be, but is not required to be, operatively connected, such as wiredor wirelessly, to the controller so that a proppant feed rate and/or afluid feed rate and/or a proppant slurry feed rate can be monitored,such as on a controller display or personal communication device (e.g.,Smart Phone or tablet), controlled, such as by the controller sendingcontrol information (e.g., voltage or data) to a motor or valve or othercontrolled device, and/or adjusted, such as by an operator changinginput data or control data used by the controller through a controllerdisplay or personal communication device (e.g., Smart Phone or tablet).For example, and not limitation, it is preferred that an operator mayinput a desired proppant slurry feed rate for the frac blender tub, orrange of rates, into the controller via a controller display orwirelessly via a smart device. The controller, which is operativelyconnected to the appropriate control devices and data devices, canadjust the speed of the conveyor(s), the amount of fluid delivered, orother properties of the screening system to maintain the proppant slurryrate at the desired value, e.g., about 5 lbs/gal, a desired or range,e.g., about 3.0 to about 6 lbs/gal (as described above).

It will be appreciated that not all of the control links and meters,transducers, and controllable items discussed above need to be used, ormay be desired, for a particular embodiment of our inventions. A fully“dumb” embodiment requiring only power to a fully “smart,” instrumentedand controlled/controllable embodiment and all permutations in betweenare within the scope of the inventions disclosed herein.

Also illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B is a frac fluid blending system 304,such as a fracing truck, which may comprise a blending tub 306. Notethat the other equipment, such as pumps and valves, necessary for aconventional frac fluid blending truck 304 are not shown for purposes ofclarity. It can be seen how in this embodiment the frac slurry dischargeconduit 134 feeds the frac slurry into the frac blender tub 306. Thisillustrates that the height of the collection bin discharge 128 likelyis an important design consideration for embodiment of the presentinvention. As discussed above, the platform support frame 112 can beheight adjustable to account for the different fracing truck designs.

FIG. 3C illustrates the interface between the wet screening component102 and a frac fluid blending system 304, such as a frac truck. Asillustrated, the discharge conduit 134 can be seen passing frac slurryfrom the collection bin 114 to a blender tub 306 for further processingby the blending system 304. It will be appreciated from FIG. 3C, thatthe proppant processed by the wet screening component 102 is passeddirectly to the frac fluid blending system 304. It is preferred that thefrac fluid blending system 304 is near the wet screening component 102,such as within 15 to 50 feet and that the collection bin discharge 132is immediately adjacent the wellhead of the well to be frac'ed.

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate an alternate embodiment of the wet screeningsystem of FIGS. 3A and 3B, in which the wet screening component 102 isnot rigidly mounted to the truck chassis or trailer 302, but rather isdeployable or moveable on the trailer 302 from a transporting positionto an operating position. In this particular alternate embodiment, thedeployable assembly 402 comprises the vibratory screening assembly 106,the inlet hopper 110 and hopper frame, and platform 210. The deployableassembly 402 in this embodiment does not include the support frame 112and associated collection bin 114. The deployable assembly 402 isstructure and configured to be secured in a first or transport location404 on the chassis 302 when the wet screening component 102 is moved todifferent locations, especially along roadways or highways where loadheight restrictions are enforced.

Fixed in a second location 406 on the trailer 302 is platform supportframe 112 comprising structural members, such as steel beams, arrangedand configured to securely, but removably support the deployableassembly 402 during operation of the wet screening component 102. Thesupport structure 112 also comprises the collection bin 114 below thevibratory screening assembly 106 so that the frac slurry is collected bythe bin 114 and discharged through port 132 to a frac fluid blendingsystem

Once the wet screening component 102 is positioned at the well site, thedeployable assembly 402 is unsecured from the transporting position andmay be lifted into position on top of the support structure 112 andremovably secured thereto for operation. For this embodiment, thedeployable assembly 402 may be lifted into operational placement on theframe 112 with conventional equipment, such as a gin pole truck orcrane. Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C, thesupport structure 112, and therefore the deployable assembly 402, may beleveled so that the screen 118 is level during operation.

In a variation of this deployable embodiment, the support structure 112may comprise hinged or rotation joints configured and arranged such thatwhen the deployable assembly 402 is mounted on the support structure112, the joints are locked or braced in position for operation of thewet screening component 102. When the wet screening component 102 needsto be moved to a different location over the roads, the joints can beunlocked or unbraced, and the support structure 112 rotated about thejoints to lay or place the deployable assembly 402 on or in thetransporting location 404 and secured to the chassis 302 for transport.One or more fluid rams (hydraulic or air) may be coupled to the supportstructure 112 and/or to the trailer 302 to control raising and loweringof the deployable assembly 402. Alternately, the deployable assembly 202can be winched into place.

Regardless of how the deployable assembly 402 is moved into operationalposition 406, other equipment, such as the frac slurry conduit 134(shown in FIG. 3 ), discharge chute 208, power cables 210, 212, controllinks 328, 330, and 332, and other equipment, are configured tosecurely, but removable, attach to or be stored on the trailer 302during transport.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate yet another embodiment of a mobile, wellsitewet screening component 500. This embodiment utilizes a deployableassembly 502 similarly to the embodiment illustrated and described inFIGS. 4A and 4B.

For this embodiment, the deployable assembly 502 comprises the vibratoryscreening assembly 106, the platform 108, the inlet hopper 110 andhopper frame 130, and the collection bin 114. In contrast to theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B in which the collection bin114 is part of the support frame 112, in this embodiment the collectionbin 114 is coupled to the deployable assembly 502, such as to theunderside of platform 108.

Like the embodiment of FIGS. 4A and 4B, this embodiment comprises aoperating position 504 and a transporting position 506 for thedeployable assembly 502. This embodiment comprises slide rails 508 and510 that are angled from a low point at one end of the trailer orchassis 302, such as the front end, to a high point at the other end ofthe trailer/chassis 302. The deployable assembly 502 comprisescorrespondingly angled slide rails 512, 514 that are structurallyconfigured to slidingly engage with slide rails 508 and 510. Thedeployable assembly 502 also may comprise one or more transverse beams516 extending between the inside surfaces of slide rails 512, 514 andbelow the sliding surface of slide rails 508, 510. These one or moretransverse beams 516 may be structurally configured to function toprevent the deployable assembly 502 from cocking or canting whiletraversing the slide rails from the transporting condition 506 to theoperating condition 504 and vice versa.

When the deployable assembly 502 is in the transporting condition orposition, the assembly 502 may be locked or secured in place such asthrough ratchet tiedowns, rail locks, and similar devices. When thedeployable assembly 502 is in the operating position or condition 504,the assembly 502 may be locked or secured in place as described for thetransporting position 506. Preferably, however, the deployable assembly502 is secured in place by physically securing the assembly 502 to theslide rails 508 and 510, such as by threaded fasteners or removablepins. Whatever securing means is used, is must be structurallysufficient to withstand the forces generated by operation of thevibratory screening assembly 106.

The motive force to slide the deployable assembly 502 from thetransporting position 506 to the operating position 504 can be suppliedby external sources such as a winch truck, or by a winch system integralwith the trailer/chassis 302. Alternately long stroke rams or cylindercan be deployed between the slide rails 508, 510 and the deployableassembly 502. Still further, each of the rails 508, 510 may comprise arack gear and the deployable assembly may comprise corresponding poweredpinion gears to move the assembly 502 between positions. Other means fortranslating the deployable assembly 502 are also contemplated by ourinventions. While this particular embodiment relies on basic slidingcontact between the rails, other friction reduction systems, such asrollers, wheels, cogs, and the like may be used as well.

Those of skill having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciatethat modifications of this embodiment are readily apparent. For example,and not limitation, one alternate embodiment comprises the collectionbin 114 being a two-piece component with a first portion coupled to theplatform 108 and the other portion coupled to the support structure 112.When the deployable assembly 502 is moved to the operating position, thecollection bin 114 is completed. It is preferred that a replaceablegasket seals the two portions of the bin. Still further, it iscontemplated that the collection bin may be part of support structure518, and not a part of the deployable assembly 502. While it is notnecessary to seal the collection bin 114 to the underside of theplatform 108 when the deployable assembly 502 is in the operatingposition 506, sealing is contemplated for certain embodiments andpreferred.

FIG. 6 illustrates yet another of the many possible embodiments of amobile, wellsite wet screening system 600. In this embodiment, thewellsite wet screening component 102 is coupled directly to a truckchassis or tractor trailer 302, with the collection bin 114 at leastpartially within the trailer frame. It will be appreciated that withthis embodiment the bin outlet 132 may be relatively close to theground, such as within 1 to 2 feet, in comparison the outlet locationsof the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3A and 5A. As persons ofskill will appreciate, this embodiment also benefits from levelingstructures. Because of this position of the outlet 132, this embodimentbenefits from an optional frac slurry pump system 600.

The frac slurry pump system 600 comprises a motor 602, preferably an ACmotor with a variable frequency drive, and a fluid pump 604, such as acentrifugal pump. The frac slurry pump system 600 may be a direct drivesystem where the motor shaft is directly coupled to the pump shaft, orthe system 600 may have a transmission 606 as illustrated in FIG. 6comprising, for example, a belt drive assembly with speed reduction.

In operation, the pump system 602 draws the frac slurry from thecollection bin 114 and lifts or pumps the frac slurry to the frac fluidblending system 304 for final processing before injection of the fracfluid into the well. As described above with respect to the otherdisclosed embodiments, the pump system 602, including blending systemconduit 610 may be stored on trailer 302 during transportation of thewet screening component 102.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate another of the many possible embodiments of amobile, wellsite wet screening system 700. In this embodiment, a wetscreening assembly comprising a vibratory screening assembly 106, aninlet hopper 110 and hopper frame 130 are incorporated into a frac fluidblending system 304, such as a frac truck.

Persons of skill in the art will appreciate that the equipment, pumps,valves, and controls that are part of a conventional frac fluid blendingsystem 304 are not specifically called out in FIGS. 7A and 7B forpurposes of clarity. It is contemplated that conventional frac fluidblending systems 304 can be retrofitted with this embodiment of the wetscreening system 102, and that new frac fluid blending systems can bedeveloped with these inventions.

In embodiments of this type, it will be appreciated that power andcontrol for the wet screening system may be supplied by the componentsof the frac blender truck 304. Modification to include the water spraysystem for wet screening along with water flow metering and control maybe required. It is contemplated that data from the conveyor weightscales and/or from the flow meter and/or form the moisture sensor willbe communicated to the frac blender truck controller. As in the previousembodiments discussed, it is preferred that the oversize particle outletof the vibratory screener be located at the rear of the trailer or truckso that oversize particles and/or contaminants may be collected andremoved. It will be appreciated that this embodiment reduces the numberof individual components or trailers that are necessary for mobile,wellsite wet screening of proppants.

Our inventions also contemplate that an embodiment of a mobile, wellsitewet screening system utilizing one or more aspects of the disclosedinventions may require a mobile power source, such as an electricalgenset. For example, an internal combustion engine generator set maybeconfigured to supply single and/or three-phase electrical power to theconveyor motors 136 vibratory shaker motors 120, lights,instrumentation, controller 326, and other components. It iscontemplated that the internal combustion generator set may be piston orturbine based and may be fueled with diesel, gasoline, distillate,natural gas, or flare gas, as available. In those fields that have anelectrical grid supply, the electrical generator may not be necessary.Those of skill in the art will understand that the electrical powergenerator should be sized to provide power sufficient for the pumps,lights, controller, and other electrical equipment, and usually willrange between about 7 kW and about 20 kW. It is contemplated a that anadditional trailer or skid may comprise an electrical genset, the fluidsupply pump 310, controller 326, power distribution module, and storagefor tools, equipment, supplies and cabling.

Now that the particular embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 7Ahave been described and enabled, it will be appreciated by those ofskill in the art that features, and functions disclosed for with respectto one embodiment may be incorporated into any of the other disclosedand enabled embodiments or any of the many other possible embodiments.For example, and not for limitation, any embodiment may comprise spraybars or spray heads 204. Any embodiment may utilize, but are notrequired to utilize a controller 326, and one or more of the variouscontrol/data links, and the various meters, transducers and controllableitems disclosed with respect to FIG. 3B for operating and controlling awellsite set screening system. For avoidance of doubt, we contemplatethat each of the embodiments disclosed herein, and those embodiments yetto be designed, may utilize some or all of the control aspects disclosedconcerning the embodiment of FIG. 3B.

While embodiments have been disclosed with a proppant supply component104 comprising a belt conveyor 122, it is contemplated that aconventional proppant box may be suspended or support above the inlethopper 110 to feed proppant directly, and controllably, into the wetscreening component 102.

Now that we have disclosed and enabled several possible embodiments ofour inventions, we now disclose the results of an actual wellsite wetscreening operation performed with a prototype system resembling theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 . The prototype system had a 7′ by 14′vibratory screen with 3-millimeter square openings therein. The minimumwater input was 50 bbl/min, and the system was operated with about 53bbl/min of water. The total water consumed by the prototype system andfrac fluid blending system was about 70 bbl/min total, meaning that theblending system added about 17 bbl/min of water. The loading hopperconveyor utilized a variable frequency drive AC motor, and the speed wasadjusted/controlled to deliver the correct amount of proppant (up toabout 1,000 tons per hour) to the main belt conveyor based on the pumpschedule. The main belt conveyor delivered the proppant to the inlethopper or feedbox of the wet screening component. The proppant was mixedwith water and discharged to the screen. Spray bars added water to helpmove the proppant through the screen into the collection bin. Oversizeddebris, including oversized proppant was discharged from the screen andcollected. The prototype was configured such that gravity would feed thefrac slurry from the bin to the frac fluid blending system at a feedrate of about 5+ lbs of proppant per gallon of water.

The start up of this prototype system comprised starting water flow tothe system by energizing the fluid supply system and setting the flowrate to about 53 bbl/min. The system passed this water to the frac fluidblending system for use in pressure fracing the well, although no wellwas frac'ed during this prototype run. Once the system was operating ina steady state with no proppant, the load hopper began to dischargeproppant to the secondary conveyor for delivery to the primary conveyor.The weight sensor in the primary conveyor was used to adjust theproppant delivery to the primary conveyor so that the appropriate amountof proppant was delivered to the inlet hopper. The prototype wasoperated in this manner and the frac slurry captured by the collectionbin was fed directly to the frac fluid blending system.

For those embodiments that use a controller, one of many possiblealgorithms comprises 1) dynamically controlling an amount of watersupplied to the system; 2) determining a moisture content of proppantthat will be supplied to the system; 3) determining a normalized weightof proppant, based on the determined moisture content, delivered to theinlet hopper; 4) adjusting the amount of proppant delivered to the inlethopper to a predetermined amount or range of amounts; and, optionally,5) determining a density of the frac slurry exiting the collection bin.

An example job based on the performance of the prototype discussed aboveis presented below. This example assumes a 2 well pad requiring 30,000tons total of dry sand, with 1,000 tons of pumped per day.

Utilizing Utilizing Utilizing Embodiment Embodiment ConventionalAccording to the According to the Equipment disclosed disclosed and ItemInventions Inventions Processes Proppant Cost, dry n/a $30 $30 ($/ton)Proppant Cost, wet ~$15 n/a n/a ($/ton) TransportCost $9 $9 $30 ($/ton)Wellsite Service $15 $15 Included in ($/ton) Transport Cost Total perton ($) $39 $54 $60 Total Proppant Cost $1,170,000 $1,620,000 $1,800,000($)

Other and further embodiments utilizing one or more aspects of theinventions described above can be devised without departing from thespirit of Applicant's invention. Further, the various methods andembodiments of the methods of manufacture and assembly of the system, aswell as location specifications, can be included in combination witheach other to produce variations of the disclosed methods andembodiments. Discussion of singular elements can include plural elementsand vice-versa.

The order of steps can occur in a variety of sequences unless otherwisespecifically limited. The various steps described herein can be combinedwith other steps, interlineated with the stated steps, and/or split intomultiple steps. Similarly, elements have been described functionally andcan be embodied as separate components or can be combined intocomponents having multiple functions.

The inventions have been described in the context of preferred and otherembodiments and not every embodiment of the invention has beendescribed. Obvious modifications and alterations to the describedembodiments are available to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thedisclosed and undisclosed embodiments are not intended to limit orrestrict the scope or applicability of the invention conceived of by theApplicants, but rather, in conformity with the patent laws, Applicantsintend to protect fully all such modifications and improvements thatcome within the scope or range of equivalent of the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile system for wet screening of proppant ata wellsite, comprising: a trailer suitable for towing upon roadways tothe wellsite, the trailer having an inclined rail system extendingupward and away from a trailer deck at one end toward a second end at apredetermined height above the trailer deck; a wet screening componentcomprising a support structure having a rail system on a lower surfacethereof and structured for sliding engagement with the trailer railsystem, the wet screening component further comprising a proppantscreening assembly having an inlet area, a discharge area, and a screenhaving a plurality of openings of predetermined size and shape throughwhich fluid and proppant smaller than a first size may pass, and whichprevents particles larger than the first size from passing through theopenings; a proppant feed box having an opening through which proppantcan be received and an inlet through which fluid can be received forcreating a proppant slurry in the feed box, a proppant slurry dischargedisposed above the inlet area, the proppant feed box separate from andnot coupled to the proppant screening assembly; at least one fluid spraysystem disposed above the screen to supply fluid to the screen tofacilitate wet screening of proppant; a frac slurry collection bindisposed relative to the screen to collect a frac slurry of proppant andfluid that has passed through the screen and having a collection binoutlet for discharging the frac slurry from the collection bin; whereinthe wet screening component is located along the rails in atransportation position establishing a minimum overall height of the wetscreening component from the trailer deck; and wherein the wet screeningcomponent is moved along the rails to an operating position establishinga predetermined height of the bin outlet from the trailer deck; a fracslurry conduit coupled to the collection bin outlet when the wetscreening component is in the operating position, and which passes fracslurry from the collection bin to a frac fluid blending system.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a proppant supply system thatdelivers a predetermined rate of proppant to the proppant feed box. 3.The system of claim 2, wherein the proppant supply system comprises abelt conveyor.
 4. The system of claim 3, further comprising a conveyorloading system configured to receive bulk proppant and to supply ameasured amount of proppant to a first end of the belt conveyor system.5. The system of claim 4, wherein the conveyor loading system comprisinga load sensor for determining an amount of proppant delivered to thebelt conveyor and a proppant moisture sensor.
 6. The system of claim 1,wherein the wet screening component is winched along the rail systemfrom the transportation position to the operating position.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a fluid supply systemcommunicating with the fluid inlet on the proppant feed box.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, where in the fluid supply system comprises a fluidpump and a fluid flow meter.
 9. The system of claim 8, whereinsubstantially all of the fluid introduced to the vibratory screeningassembly through the proppant feed box and the at least one spray bar isdischarged from the bin outlet.
 10. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a frac slurry pump for pumping the frac slurry from thecollection bin outlet to the frac fluid blending system.
 11. The systemof claim 10, wherein the frac slurry conduit is connected to the inletof the frac slurry pump.
 12. The system of claim 2, further comprising acontroller operatively coupled to the proppant supply system so that apredetermined rate of proppant is delivered to the proppant feed box.13. The system of claim 1, wherein the screen of the wet screeningcomponent can be leveled when the wet screening component is in theoperation position.
 14. The system of the claim 13, comprising aplurality of adjustable legs extending from the support structure to theground for leveling the screen.
 15. The system of claim 1, wherein thescreen openings are 3 mm by 3 mm square openings.
 16. A method ofcreating a frac slurry of proppant screened for size and debris with thesystem of claim 1, comprising: placing the trailer immediately adjacenta wellhead; moving the wet screening component to the operatingposition; supplying a predetermined rate of water to the proppant feedbox; collecting the water in the collection bin; passing the waterthrough the bin outlet to the frac fluid blending system; supplying apredetermined rate of proppant to the proppant feed box while water isbeing supplied to the proppant feed box; depositing a proppant slurry onthe screen; separating oversized particles from proppant slurry;collecting the frac slurry of water and proppant screened for size anddebris in the collection box; and passing the frac slurry through thebin outlet to the frac fluid blending system for creating a frac fluidfor the formation associated with the wellhead.
 17. The method of claim16, wherein the predetermined rate of water is between 12 bbl/min and119 bbl/min.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein the predetermined rateof water is between greater than 50 bbl/min.
 19. The method of claim 16,wherein the frac slurry has a proppant component of between 3 lbs/gallonand 6 lbs/gallon.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein no wastewater isproduced by the system.